Trusting A Killer
by Mithua
Summary: It takes a lot of courage to lay full trust on someone, whether they be your best friend, a brother, a lover...or a killer. Warnings: Spoilers to PoA! Some SLASH RL/SB Please R/R!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co belong to J K Rowling. I don't own them, but I wish I did!

A/N: Hi everyone! I know I promised not to write two fics at once, but I really need to write something else other than that L/J! It's going to take me ages to complete that and this story will probably be but a mere pebble compared to the 'Behind This Mask.' I will prioritise my L/J moreover this fiction, as it will take a long time, so sorry if my update rate is slow! 

Warnings: This story may contain some slash! Actually, it most probably will, so if you don't like it, don't read it. If you have a problem with slash and start flaming, I _will start bitching, so you have been warned! _

Feedback: Hell yeah! I'd appreciate that a lot! If you'd like to post this story (or any other of my stories for that matter) on your site, please IM or e-mail me first! Because I'd like to know where my stories go!

Spoilers: 'Prisoner of Azkaban.' So if you haven't read that book, don't read this story just yet! But if you don't care about spoilers, then be my guest and start reading! ^_^

_This story is dedicated to Shishu, my little big sister._

***

Trusting a Killer.

By Mithua.

****

_Foolishness and ignorance can cover up what is so pure and true…_

The news had spread around like wildfire.  No one could believe what had happened. It was unbelievably overwhelming that the whole wizarding world was in an uproar. Flocks of owls flew by everywhere, blending in with the sky and making them appear as clouds, especially the white snowy owls. Hushed whispers would be shared between the witches, wizards, squibs and house elves alike. Even the foolhardy muggles had seen the curious behaviour of that of the magical world. You couldn't blame them. It wasn't everyday you'd see someone pop up from nowhere, clad in robes sigh merrily and shake your hand as if he (or she) had won millions. The magical community held feasts, met up in streets and chatted about the news, share rumours amongst themselves. Oh, what a joyous day it had turned out to be!

Or was it? For every positive side, a negative side would loom by.

And for some, the negative side seemed to plague them more than the positive. Especially for that of Remus Lupin. His world shattered that one day. He had been seated inside a Ministry Building with very traumatic questions being fired at him. The past few hours had shaken him of nearly all energy he had had and he really wasn't in the mood for being questioned by curious Ministry men. He had needed to go through the same events time after time, explaining to them. Did they not get it the first time? Did they not listen? 

Reliving the past day was not something he wanted to relive…again. 

_James and Lily Potter, two of the greatest and best friends anyone could ever have, dead. Murdered. It was hard to believe but it was true. I couldn't believe that it had happened. It was impossible! How could they be dead? I laughed mirthlessly, what a cold, cruel world it was. How miserable things could get. I had heard from other wizards and witches about the incident, about his closest friends. About their wonderful son, Harry Potter. Who had defeated the Dark Lord. I doubt he actually defeated him, banished him maybe, but not defeated him. But he probably will have the power to beat him._

_I had sought solace in a busy muggle street, it was usually very rare to meet up with folk from the magical world in muggle parts of __London__. But I wasn't so lucky this day. Because I ran into one of my oldest friends, who seemed positively livid about the incident. Sirius Black. _

_We stopped dead in our tracks when we saw each other. He had definitely changed since I last saw him. He had an angered expression on his face, but his gaze had softened when he had seen me. His duty had seemed to have caused him lack of sleep, shadows were seen under those sparkling blue eyes which use to shine mischievously, now they seemed to seek revenge. His shabby clothes indicated that he had lost a lot of weight over the past few days. He had been wearing the same things when I last saw him, and they had fit him perfectly then, but they hung loosely to him now. His long shaggy mane of black was set over his face and his * fringe hung over his eyes. It was usually tied back in a messy ponytail but now it flowed freely. We simply stood there staring at each other. _

_My face soon hardened to one look of anger. HE had been James and Lily's secret keeper, HE was Harry's godfather, and it was HE who had sold the Potter's to the Dark Lord. The arrogant bastard. My brain kept telling me that Sirius was now a criminal, a killer, and murderer. But my heart refused to believe it. He was also my best friend, more that my best friend really. I had then noticed that his angered look turned into one of a sad and lost being. His lip trembled and his eyes glistened with unshed tears._

_"You believe them, don't you?" he asked in a whisper. I nearly didn't catch it. _

_"I don't know who to believe nowadays." I replied coldly. He flinched at my remark. He slowly walked up to me and grabbed my hand. I didn't back away, but I was tensed._

_"I need you to trust me." Was all Sirius Black said and with that he dragged me down the street. He then broke into a run, still clutching my hand. I noticed a tiny mass of blonde hair running away from us._

_"That rat isn't going to get away this time." I heard Sirius mutter. I was purely confused at all of this but then again, I was always confused around Sirius. I then noticed something. Sirius was muttering something under his breath and our where his hand held onto mine, a slight silver shine ran through it. I felt a warm feeling go through my body, but I said nothing of it. _

_Soon enough, we reached the running blonde who just so happened to be Peter Pettigrew, my slightly annoying friend through Hogwarts. He gave a startled yelp when he saw Sirius but his eyes grew to the size of saucers when he saw me._

_"Remus! You're with this…this scum! The murderer of our best friends! Run away Remus! Before he kills you too! He's betrayed us and doesn't deserve our trust!" Peter nearly screamed. Sirius was furious and grabbed Peter by the neck of his robes and slammed him against a wall._

_"How dare you! You ignorant bastard!" Sirius yelled. In his anger he seemed to have forgotten about me standing behind him. I was shocked beyond all beliefs. Why was Sirius so angry at Peter? When it was Peter who should be so angry at Sirius? What was I doing? I was supposed to be vexed towards Sirius! It was then I noticed then moth grab for their wands. _

_"No! Don't!" I yelled but then all that was heard next was an incoherent cry from both of them and…the explosion._

_Screams filled the air around me. It shattered my eardrums more than the explosion had. Once the smoke had cleared away, I was choked and felt so sick with what I saw. In front of me Sirius was on his knees looking down at the ground. The look in his eyes was empty. And in front of him, all I was the mess of blood-soaked robes. Around me, I saw the tomb of the muggles. Bodies lay scattered everywhere, many injured and many also horribly dead. I check myself and noticed that I had come out unscathed. No scratches, no blood, no nothing, when I should've died along with Sirius._

_I looked back down at Sirius and saw his shoulder's shaking in silent laughter. I looked on in horror as his eyes were covered with a menacing and maniacal look to them. A crescendo could be heard as his laughter got louder. It was horrible. I was afraid to approach him. _

_He truly was a killer._

_After some time, Ministry wizards arrived and they firstly helped the muggle ambulances. Others used charms to convince them that the explosion was in fact a gas explosion and not a powerful dark magic curse. The Ministry members approached Black with caution but the laughing Black went with them, bawling his head off with maniacal and evil laughter._

_After the incident, I went with a witch for questioning on the situation, and here I am now._

Thirteen muggles died that day. Sirius Black was charged with manslaughter and a lifetime sentence in the Azkaban Fortress. And Remus Lupin…well, he went off to seek solitude. These memories haunted him, and the fact that he was also a werewolf didn't help. He went off to the Isle of Iona and stayed on that remote island. 

It would be 11 ½ years later, that he would once again be traumatized by Sirius Black.

_***_

A/N: Well, there's the first chapter! I hope you liked it! If you have any queries and questions leave them in your review and I will answer them next time! I'll just clear one up right now; the Isle of Iona is a real place. Not made up! I've been there, it's a remote island in Scotland and it takes about 7 hours max to walk around the island!  It's a beautiful place! And I though Remus might like it there. Even though it's no place for a werewolf seeing as he's a vicious creature as a werewolf. But I'll explain everything later! Ok? Oh! And please review! I'D be real happy!

* Fringe: Is the British word for Bangs!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2__

Eleven and a half years ago, his world shattered with the murder of three of his best friends. And his only 'friend' currently resided in Azkaban. Remus once again laughed mirthlessly, like he had done before many a time. It was definitely true; a werewolf's life was a cursed living. However within these years, he had kept in close contact with Albus Dumbledore, current headmaster of Hogwarts for all these years. His old mentor had been telling him of the progress of Harry Potter. His best friend's son. He had somewhat, become a guardian to the boy, since his parents were deceased and his godfather was a criminal. However, with his records as a werewolf on the werewolf registry, he wasn't exactly allowed to let Harry stay with him. So the boy did not know of his existence, but he did remember posting some photo's of Lily and James to Hagrid to give to Harry a few months back.

Albus also kept him up to date with the progress of Sirius. His 'best friend' through school. And recently, he had become a little disturbed at how much the dementers did not affect Sirius as they did with his inmates. The news that he had received from Dumbledore had told him that Sirius was as civil as ever, and that he often asked to read newspapers, and he'd often talk about Quidditch scores. It was peculiar to say the least.

Another thing had also troubled Remus a little. His transformations, they didn't feel like his earlier ones. They weren't as painful as they had been before. It was a good thing, but it was unusual that he wouldn't feel as much pain as he used to. Maybe he was starting to get used to it after all these years. Remus often shuddered at that thought…getting used to being a werewolf. That was horrible in his opinion.

With all these problems troubling Remus, you couldn't really blame him for being emotionally strained.

Another lonely year passed. Dumbledore had told him of Harry's ordeal with the infamous Chamber of Secret's. So it had been true! He remembered how often the Marauders had tried to search for it, but failed all the time. As an unorthodox guardian, Remus fulfilled any financial problems he needed to pay for Harry's doings at school. But he never complained about it. He had lived his life at school with enough money to get through it; he didn't want Harry to have to use all of his small fortune at Gringott's for his troubles at school. You could say it was for these reasons, that Remus lived a small humble life.

***

Remus headed towards the kitchen in his bath robes. He yawned and started to make his breakfast. As he sat down to a bowl of porridge he was startled out of his half-sleep like state from a loud tapping on the window. It was a Hogwarts owl. He opened the window and let the owl sweep in. He gave the owl some toast before he let it fly off. The owl hooted gratefully and took off, the toast still wedged in its beak.

He ripped open the letter and a newspaper cutting fell out of it. He picked it up and went rigid as soon as he saw the heading.

SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPES AZKABAN!

'What the…?' Remus thought as he read the article over and over, trying to process all the information it held. The article told of the mysterious disappearance of the criminal and how the dreaded guards on the fortress hadn't even sensed him escape. It retold of his past crimes and showed the reward money to anyone who found him. Remus looked at the recent picture of his past best friend. He looked pale and gaunt. His hair was twice as long as it had been last time he saw him. He was unshaven and had a very distinct stubble. His eyes looked back coldly at Remus and he shivered. Even if it was a picture, Sirius had never looked at him coldly.

Remus then turned to the parchment written to him, most presumably by Dumbledore.

_Dear Remus,_

_I hope this letter sees you well. Firstly, I am just as alarmed as you are to find that Sirius has escaped. It seems impossible but Sirius has always shown a vigour to achieve his goals, and escaping Azkaban seems like one of them._

_However, the whole Magical World in on alert. As we speak, the Minister of Magic is sending out those horrid dementers on patrol to find him. Unfortunately, he has also ordered them at Hogwarts, as it seems likely that Sirius may in fact be after Harry. That is why more protection seems to be needed at Hogwarts, in Cornelius Fudge's eyes anyway._

_I also feel that this year will be tough on Harry. And on you for that matter, because there is no reason that Sirius will not come looking for you. So, I request that you take a role at Hogwarts once more, as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, which has once again become vacant due to the unreliability of our last Professor. Please do not worry of Ministry trouble as I have their full trust on this matter. _

_I hope to be seeing you on September 1st!_

_Yours truly,_

_Albus Dumbledore._

Remus read the letter over and over again. He was being offered a job? It had been a long time since he had a job, due to the fact that he suffers lycanthropy. 

Remus sat for a long time contemplating on the newspaper article and what the headmaster had written.

…_because there is no reason that Sirius will not come looking for you._

Those words kept repeating themselves in his head. It wasn't that he was worried about his own well being, it's just that, in a small corner in his mind, Remus had to admit that he actually _wanted to Sirius again. Just meet him once more. Remus shook the thought out of his head. 'Don't be stupid.' He scolded himself._

He grabbed his quill and parchment and wrote a quick reply to Dumbledore, saying he'd accept the job. He started to pack his things. He'd stay at the Leaky Cauldron until the new term would start. He needed to be as up to date as possible with any news of Sirius. Once all his things were packed, he apparated, back to the magical world.    

***

A/N: Hi everybody! Hope you liked this chapter! It may seem kind of pointless but I needed to write it! Because…err…yeah…Remus needed a job! Well please review! You'd make my day! 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Remus stood facing the black door of the grubby little pub.  He opened the door and it squeaked open. Looking inside, he saw that it hadn't changed at all since he was last visited. The tables and chairs were at exactly the same place, they wax candles hovered over lanterns, creating a dim light, the usual witches and wizards sat, talking with friends and drinking and good old Tom still worked merrily behind the bar.

As Remus took his first step into the pub, the floorboard squeaked and he noticed how the pub suddenly went silent and they all sat staring at him. There were one or two Ministry Workers about, and they had a grim look to their faces. Whether it was because of him being a werewolf or the stress of trying to find Sirius, Remus didn't know. Either way, he didn't like the look they had. He gave a small smile to a few that stared and they continued talking to friends, this time I hushed whispers. 'I never knew that _that many people knew about my lycanthropy' Remus though as he walked towards the bar._

"Remus Lupin. Well, this is a surprise; it's been a long time since anyone last saw you!" Tom commented giving him a quick grin.

"Yeah, it has, so how've you been Tom?" Remus asked smiling at him. Remus liked Tom the innkeeper. He knew about Remus' lycanthropy and was one of the few people that accepted him for him and didn't flinch away because of the werewolf inside of him. Then again, it might've also been for the fact that his sister was also a werewolf.

"I'm fine. Business is doing fine. Actually, me pub's become a bit of a place for solace lately, you know with that bugger, Sirius Black about." Tom said the last part quietly. Remus flinched a little at the mention of Sirius' name.

"Well, I was wondering if I could possibly stay for a night here. I know you might not be willing to do that…it being a full moon tonight…" Remus nearly whispered.

"Nonsense Remus my boy! You're welcome here! I'll just show you to your room!" Tom said with his usual grin on his face. With that, he led Remus downstairs, to a basement room. No one went for basement rooms usually, and they had many locks to keep people out. Most of it was made from stone, so sound didn't travel that far. 

"You know the drill Remus. I'll come down at dawn to see if you need anything." Tom told Remus.

"Thank you Tom," Remus replied. Tom grinned and made his way back upstairs.

That night, no one heard the howls, the snarls, the clawing, and the cries of pain, the whimpering or the silent pleas of help. Remus lay on the floor, panting slightly from the transformation. His robes were ripped and he could feel old wounds opening, along with some new ones.  He winced slightly as he tried to lift himself up, and he held onto a wound on his left arm, which turned out to be bleeding heavily. The only advantage of being a werewolf was the power of accelerated healing, it was the only reason that Remus hadn't died due to lack of blood. Twenty minutes later, Tom climbed down the stair case holding some potions and remedies, with gauzes and bandages. He stifled a yawn and gave a sleepy smile at Remus.

"Good morning sunshine, hope it wasn't too bad," he asked as a way of a greeting. Remus gave a small smile himself and just remained silent. He didn't like to talk too much after transformations. Tom started to work on Remus' wounds silently, opening potion bottle after potion bottle, and dabbing them on cuts and gashes that Remus had. He then bandaged Remus' wounds. Slowly, the sun rose, and a little window at the top of the basement let the light pore in. 

"I'll bring some breakfast down for you." Tom said and headed back upstairs. Remus was grateful for all the help he was receiving from Tom. As the morning bore on, Remus was now ready and set to make his way back out. Tom had given him some chocolate. It was a good remedy for exhaustion after transformation. Remus packed it into his briefcase. He paid Tom for the nights stay and made his way to Kings Cross station.

Running through the barrier between platforms nine and ten brought back many memories of his days at Hogwarts. And seeing the bright red steam engine train brought a smile to his face. Some of the children attending the school were already there; ready to step in the train. Remus hastily made his way to the back of the train and snuck into an empty compartment.

He sighed as he sat down and looked out the window. His hearing abilities as a werewolf helped him pick up conversations from parents on the other side of the platform. He tried to shut them out; he wasn't going to let his werewolf abilities get the better of him on the train.  He yawned slightly and wrapped his shabby robes around him to keep him warm. 'I haven't had any sleep.' He thought as he closed his eyes.

Just as he was about to doze off…he picked up something. A smell. A familiar smell. _'That smell, it's familiar.' Remus thought, or more appropriately, Moony the werewolf thought. Remus' eyes snapped open and he sniffed more. The smell was intoxicating. It was an aroma of something he had known before. Remus looked out the window once again as it mainly cam from that direction. His eyes scanned the platform, nut he couldn't link the smell to anyone on it. He sat back down and frowned. '__It must have been my imagination.' He thought. Sleep swept through him again and he fell into a light slumber._

But looming in the shadows - practically invisible to anyone who passed - stood a big but thin black dog. Slightly rigid from shock, on seeing a past best friend.

***

Remus slept soundly, blissfully unaware of the three students that had been seat at the other side of the compartment. He stirred once in a while when he felt a minute but familiar presence in the forma of a minute creature. Ignoring it, he continued slumbering.

But his sleep was being disturbed. He felt the whole train shudder to a stop and a very unwelcoming feeling spread over him. He opened his eyes, only to find darkness. He heard the voices of children around him.

"Who's that?'

"Who's _that?'_

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you dong?"

"I was looking for Ron…"

"Come in and sit down…"

"Not here!...I'm here!"

"Ouch!"

Remus had just about enough!

"Quiet!" he said in a hoarse voice.  

The whole compartment too heed of his demand. He muttered an incantation under his breath and flames started to appear out of his hand, illuminating the small compartment. He saw five student's faces as the light glowed. Two were redheads and looked slightly alike. They must be siblings. There was a girl with bushy brown hair, near the door. A small pale shuddering boy was beside him, looking up at him nervously. And the last boy…looked just like his best friend, except the eyes, just like his mother's.

"Stay where you are," Remus told them, and he made his way to the door way. But the door opened before he put his hand on it. Revealing what may perhaps be the foulest creatures on the planet. Dementors.

Remus saw Harry, went rigid and then collapsed on to the floor. Twitching a little as his friends surrounded him. Remus glared at the creatures. He stepped over Harry and pulled out his wand.

"None of us are hiding Sirius Black under our robes. Go." He said warningly his wand raised. They didn't move and were about to advance.

"Expecto Patronum." Remus muttered under his breath. A silvery white wispy figure shot out of his wand and the dementors fled. 

Soon enough, the lights came back on, and Remus saw Harry starting to stir. He went over to his bag and pulled out a bar of chocolate. He listened as Harry said he had heard screaming. It must have been horrible for him. Remus broke off a slab of the chocolate and handed the large piece to Harry.

"Here. Eat it, it'll help." Remus said. Harry took it but didn't eat it. Instead he asked.  

"What was that thing?"

"A Dementor. A Dementor of Azkaban." Remus told them whilst handing out piece of chocolate to everyone. He crumpled up the wrapped and put it in his pocket.

"Eat. It'll help. I need to speak with the driver, excuse me…" Remus told them and headed out of the compartment down to the front of the train.  He asked the driver how long it would take them to reach Hogwarts, and whether it was really necessary for them to allow dementors on board. He also sent an owl out to Hogwarts, telling them that Harry had been taken ill. The witch with the food cart was up front too and she gave him some chocolate, as Remus was rather pale himself. He thanks her and made his way back down to the compartment. He paused as he entered and smiled at the students.

"I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know…" Remus smiled at them. His smile grew as he saw there pale faces return with colour. 

"We'll be I Hogwarts in ten minutes. Are you all right Harry?" he asked the black haired boy, who looked so much like James and had Lily's eyes.

"Fine," Harry muttered, with slight embarrassment.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence, with the odd meow from the cat he learnt was called Crookshanks, and hoots from Hedwig, Harry's owl. There were also some silent snores from the rat that also resided in Ron's pocket. The boy Neville kept his toad in his hands, and it was suspiciously quiet. 

Remus' thought wandered during the journey. They didn't actually need to bring Dementors on board. Then why did they come. Dumbledore was right when he said that Dementors were the worst. And now that the dolt, Cornelius Fudge had allowed them to wander freely, it was horrible. It reminded him of the dark times, when Voldemort had still been around.

Soon enough, the train stopped at the station. Remus let the students get off the train before he gathered his things. He grabbed his old briefcase and headed out of the train. As he stepped off t train, he noticed Harry seeming to have an argument with someone who was the spitting image of Lucius Malfoy. Remus would have burst out laughing at the continuing rivalry between the Potter's and the Malfoy's, but he controlled himself and headed over to them. 

"Is there a problem?" he asked mildly as he stepped behind Harry, Ron and Hermione. The Malfoy, seemed to be slightly taken aback by Remus' sudden arrival.

"Oh no – er – _Professor." He replied and backed off with two bulky boys._

Remus smiled to himself and headed off to Hogwarts, away from the rest of the pupils.

***

Remus was greeted by Albus Dumbledore, and he handed Remus a timetable of which year he'd be taking on which day.  He smiled as they headed back to the Great Hall and sat down at the Teacher's Table.

"Welcome Back Remus." Said a few teachers who had known the man as a boy at Hogwarts. Remus gave them a smile and greeted them, talking to them. Remus also saw a very familiar figure at the other end of the table, with that familiar expression of hate…no…_loathing._

"Hello Severus." Remus said maybe a little coldly.

"Always a pleasure Remus." He spat back, just as coldly. 

The Sorting ceremony ended quickly and the feast began. Remus filled his plate with a modest amount of everything and ate. It was good to have Hogwarts food again. He didn't think he'd had a decent meal since he left Hogwarts when he was 17. When the feast finished, Dumbledore made his usual announcements. And added the fact about the dementors guarding every gate and opening to the school.

"On  a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. Firstly, Professor Lupin,, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher." Dumbledore said. There was a scattered applause from here and there. Remus wasn't put off by the lack of applause, he had  suffered from rejection for most of his life, so he didn't mind that not many people applauded. He was thankful to the few who did whoever. He was particularly happy to see Harry, Ron and Hermione doing so. Hagrid received a bigger applause for his role as Care of Magical Creatures teacher. 

Remus headed towards his own room at Hogwarts. It wasn't that much different to the Gryffindor room that he had when he came. He had a four-poster bed, a desk for work, a fireplace, a cupboard, and the room was full of secret passage ways to the bathrooms, the kitchens and to his own office. Remus knew of this place because of the Marauder's Map. James and Sirius had had fun taunting the Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers during their stay at Hogwarts. 

That night Remus slept soundly, but little did he know that certain black dog sat by the Forbidden Forest.   

***

A/N: Hey! Sorry about the double spacing. Halfway through writing this, it just went like that, and I couldn't stop it, so it's stuck like this. I tried to fix it! I honestly did, but I'm not good with this sort of thing! Anyways, hope you liked this chapter! It took me ages to write as I took EXACT' quotes from PoA! Plus, I tried to make this chapter happyish…but watching a very angsty movie before writing this chapter didn't help! So, I hoped you all liked it!

**Arra: YAY! You reviewed!!!!! WOW! It's been ages!!!!! I'll talk to you later! And everyone, go read her stuff NOW! She is a kickass and immensely ace author! Especially with slashy RL/SB stuff! It's really cool! **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Remus had to admit, his first day teaching at Hogwarts had been very nerve-wracking. But he seemed to make a good impression on his first lot of students. They seemed to be awed with the creatures he brought in, and since today was a practical lesson, they were even more excited to be using their wands instead of taking endless notes. Remus had to admit, his first day was successful. However, he did find it slightly awkward to be in a different position in Hogwarts than he had been when he had last been there. He wouldn't have ever thought that he'd end up being a teacher. 

The next day, as Remus was eating breakfast, the owl post came and a newspaper dropped down beside Remus' breakfast. Remus buttered his toast, but as he was raising it to his mouth, he froze.

**SIRIUS BLACK SPOTTED?**

All thoughts of breakfast flew out of Remus' head as he read the article over and over.  The article had basically said that Sirius Black had been spotted by a muggle, not too far off from Hogsmeade. She had called the Ministry but by the time somebody got there, he had disappeared.

Remus breathed a slight sigh. But he frowned. 'Why should I feel relieved? I should be hoping he'd be brought back to justice as soon as possible.' Remus thought. He shook his relieved thought away and continued eating breakfast. He wouldn't be able to concentrate on his lessons if he didn't eat something.

 Remus rushed down the hallways to his class after lunch. He was late because he had gone to see Albus, and they had discussed getting Wolfsbane Potion for Remus. Severus had –reluctantly- agreed to prepare the potion; however, it was a month's preparation. So Remus would have to use the Shrieking Shack until then. Remus had agreed and was now headed towards his class.

As he entered, he smiled at his students and placed his tatty briefcase on his desk. He then turned to face his 3rd Year Class.

"Good Afternoon. Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will only need you wands." His students looked at his curiously as they put their books in their bags warily. He had managed to get that reaction from all his classes. But then, he had heard the rumour of this class being left to deal with a class full of Pixies, without any knowledge of getting rid of them.

"Right then, if you'd follow me." He said and took his class away from the usual classroom. He lead them down several corridors until he found an old 'friend' down the corridor, up to his no good tricks as usual. Peeves the Poltergeist, stood floating in the corridor, stuffing a keyhole with chewing gum. As Peeves saw them approached he grinned as evil grin. He then saw, Remus, and vague look of remembrance showed on his Poltergeist face.

"Loony, loopy Lupin! Loony, loopy Lupin! Loony, loopy Lupin! Loon…" Peeves chanted. Remus smiled, the Poltergeist had always greeted him like that at school. In the end, even James and Sirius had ended up chanting like that, just to annoy him when he studied too much. He heard a few gasps from his students. They all knew Peeves was rude and unmanageable, but even he would show respect to teachers. But what they didn't know, was that he, James, Sirius and Peter had actually been allies and enemies with this certain Poltergeist. 

"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole, if I were you, Peeves. Mr Filch won't be able to get in to his brooms." Remus said calmly. He got a reply that he'd expected from Peeves; a loud wet raspberry. Remus sighed and pulled out his wand.

"This is a useful little spell. Please watch closely." He told them over his shoulder. He pointed his want to the poltergeist.

"_Waddiwasi."_

The wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole like a bullet. It flew right up to Peeves' left nostril. The prank playing poltergeist spluttered as he floated down the corridor, silently cursing the teacher.

"Cool sir!" Dean said in utter amazement.

"Thank you Dean," Remus smiled, "Shall we proceed then?" And with that, he led the 3rd year class down to the staff room. He opened the door to see Professor Snape sitting on one of the many armchairs. He looked up as the class entered. The shared an old glare, letting some of their past school rivalry show, until Snape's face sneered. Remus just shook his head and started to close the door.

"Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." He got to his feet and in a few strides was at the doorway. Lupin stood his ground at the door, waiting for Snape to leave until, Snape turned to face him, staring directly into his amber eyes.

"Possibly, no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear." He snarled. Remus raised his brow, almost challengingly.

"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation, and I am sure he will perform it admirably." A sly smile made its way onto Remus' face when he saw Snape's lip curl. Snape left with a slight slam of the door. 

Remus turned to his class, who were looking expectantly at him. "Now then," he started. He walked towards a wardrobe at the end of the room, and his class followed. He stood next to it, but there was a sudden wobble and the wardrobe banged itself off the wall. A few of the pupils jumped back, startled at the wardrobe's behaviour.

"Nothing to worry about. There's a Boggart in there. His class gave him a look, as if he were crazy. Nothing worry about? He said it all with nonchalance! He noticed how Seamus Finnigan eyes the rattling doorknobs sceptically. 

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces. Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks – I once met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. _This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the Headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my 3rd years some practice. So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a Boggart?"_

As quick as a lightning bolt, he saw the hand of Hermione Granger shoot up. 'She's a Lily in the making.' Remus thought to himself and indicated her to start.

"It's a shape-shifter. It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself." He smiled. She glowed. 'Yep, she's definitely a Lily.' He thought to himself.

"So the Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door.  Nobody know what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. This means, that we will have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?" Remus grinned inwardly. He had caught Harry off-guard. He had that confused look on his face whenever James was asked a question when he hadn't been paying attention. Adding to the hilarity was Hermione bobbing up and down, waving her hand, showing she knew the answer – all so very Lily-like!

"Err – because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?" Harry asked.

"Precisely."

And so the lesson on Boggarts went on. And as Remus had told Snape, Neville indeed was the first one to have a go at the Boggart. It was indeed amusing. The poor boy was frightened of Professor Snape. And then Remus had pursued on with the appearance of Neville's grandmother.  Soon, stood in front of the wardrobe, ready to face off with the Boggart. With a crack, the Boggart appeared in the form of Professor Snape. Neville pointed his wand at the Boggart, still very frightened and uttered '_Riddikulus.' Soon, there was a Snape traipsing around in the cloths  Neville's grandmother had worn. Everyone had never seen a funnier sight and had burst out in laughter. _

After Neville's attempt, everyone was in queue to deal with the Boggart. There were things ranging from banshees, to mutated hands and mummies. Ron of course, had dealt with a spider. The spider-Boggart made its way to Harry. But Remus stopped Harry. Instead, the Boggart turned into a silvery white orb. Remus said the spell and then left Neville to deal with it. His self esteem seemed to be raised and he smiled as he saw the confident Neville take on the Boggart a second time.

Remus grinned as he saw everyone in the class looking satisfied. He awarded points to Harry and Hermione for answering his questions and the lesson was done.

***

Remus was glad that his lessons were becoming such a hit with the pupils. Except with maybe a few Slytherins. But then again, Snape was their head and he could slip anything out to them.  He had avoided Snape these past few weeks. He could always be heard complaining about how hard the ingredients were to find and cursing the complexity of the potion. Remus hated the fact that he was now in Snape's debt.

But it was a full moon tonight, and that meant a cold painful night out in the Shrieking Shack. The potion was still not reading. Another month or so, and he wouldn't suffer as much and would be tamer as the wolf. But as the seconds ticked by, Remus' lycanthropy was starting to take a toll on him. He was feeling more tired, and could feel the pain start bubble from within him. He heard a knock on his office door and opened it. He saw Madam Pomfrey standing by, with a small smile.

"Hello Remus. Just like the good old days isn't it." She said as a greeting. He gave a small smile.

"It is." He replied and locked his door. 

Together, the two of them made their way silently to the infamous Whomping Willow. The matron picked up a stick and skilfully prodded the knot at the base of the tree. On cue, the tree froze, showing a small entrance.

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey." Remus said gratefully. She smiled.

"You know the drill Remus. Come straight to me in the morning if you're injured. And you're staff now, call me Poppy." She called as he went through. With a last smile to her, he made his way down the old passageway. 

***

A/N: Hi! Sorry for the lack in updates! I know it's been ages, but I've been busy with school work! So, I hope you liked this chapter! Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Just a few things I think you should know.

'blah'…means that Moony is talking. When I type Moony, I talk about the werewolf's thought, _not Remus' thoughts._

_'blah' …means that Remus is talking whilst in his werewolf form. _

***

Chapter 5

His footsteps made echoes that ricocheted off every wall of the passageway. It was dark, too dark. Most wizards would have used a lighted wand to see their way through, however, because he was lycanthropic, he was more in tuned to the darkness, and he could see quite clearly, as if it were day. It was the only animal sense he kept as a human. Remus recognised every fine outline, every slit on the walls, every crevice, and every narrow sliver that let in the unforgiving moonlight.  Remus flinched away from the light, keeping in the shade. Any exposure to the moonlight would cause his body to morph. He could also feel the werewolf inside him squirm in his bowels, trying to become free, and wild. But Remus kept him within him, as he hurriedly made his way down the passageway. He couldn't let the werewolf free in the passageway, he could easily break free. 

The archway of the door could be seen in the distance. Remus sighed in relief. It was becoming tiresome to hold the wolf inside. 

But as Remus made his way through the corridor and to the door, he couldn't help having a nagging feeling. This was so familiar to him. Finally he reached the door, but as he was about to push it open, he froze.

 All in all, there were seven people who had known of his hideout. Albus and Poppy know of this passageway. As did Snape – unfortunately. He himself knew, and so had two of his best friends, now deceased. That left one other. 'Damn!' Remus thought as his hand slid down the door. 

Sirius.

He was an animagus.

And only Remus knew.

He was a wanted…mur…no…criminal.

He knew of this bloody passageway.

He could get to Hogwarts – to Harry.

"Damn!" Remus cursed out loud. Should he tell Albus? _Could he tell Albus? After all the precautions that had been set out for his safety, and the school's safety. After Albus had actually __let him come to Hogwarts. He had broken many rules back then, often, he would spend the night with his three best friends, out in the Hogwarts grounds. Having adventures. Blatantly ignoring and breaking all rules set. Foolhardy. That's what he was back then, along with his best friends – who were __illegal animagi. He had been that foolish, and guilty. Remus but a hand on his temples, he was starting to have a headache. 'I'll think about it in the morning.' He thought as he rubbed his temples. _

Tiredly, he opened the door. Facing an old room he hadn't seen in years. Broken furniture, shattered glass, ripped curtains. This place was a mess, and it was now quilted with a layer of dust. What a pleasant room. Remus closed the door and locked it. It creaked noisily which annoyed Remus. He growled, incredibly reminiscent to that of a werewolf.

He sat on the floor in the middle of the room. Taking off his robes, he folded them and put them out of sight so that they wouldn't rip. His grey slacks and grubby loose shirt were all that clothed him. His hair was in a loose ponytail, gently rubbing on his shoulders. Sitting cross legged, he closed his eyes and bowed his head, undoubtedly waiting for the moon to finally bathe him.

***

Not too far outside the Shrieking Shack, the village of Hogsmeade slept as soundly as possible. The fact that Azkaban's Guards – Dementors – roamed the streets did quite frankly annoy and scare the villagers. However, apart from these horrible creatures, a solitary animal rummaged through the rubbish bins, searching for any scrap of food that would last him the night. He was hungry, hell, he was starved. Just fur and bones. His wet black nose sniffed through much rubbish cans. Maybe there were a few scraps from children who didn't finish their supper that night. Or maybe, some of the Hogwarts students had thrown the odd sweet from Honeydukes away by accident.

The huge bear-like dog finally found something. Some old remnants of roast chicken and a half eaten steak pie. Oh, this scavenger was lucky tonight. He gobbled down what he could, anything that was edible and gave him strength for the night. Satisfied with the meal, the dog found a relatively clean puddle of water to drink from. It was at certain times like this that he was thankful that the people of Hogsmeade were relatively clean and environmentally friendly. 

However, Autumn was definitely upon Scotland and with that, the temperature dropped and the heaven's opened every second hour. A raindrop fell instantly onto the black dog's head, wetting his fur. The dog would have to find shelter for the night. His fur was already a little matted; he wouldn't be able to deal with wet matted fur. The dog swivelled his head in every direction until its pale eyes fell upon a rather run down building. It was perfect. 

The black dog bounded to the outskirts of the village and up the hill. He easily fitted through the bars of the gate and his feet padded down softly on the mossy overgrowth. All the windows and doors were boarded up, allowing no means of entrance. But the dog was cleverer, and after rummaging through a rather large prickly bush, he managed to find a gap, just big enough for him to fit through.

The dog kneeled down and fitted through gap easily. The bush then sprung back to its original position, blocking the entrance again. The dog's pale eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw the cobwebs from the years of neglect to the house. Little light shone through, and even if it did, it was only in slices. The dog shook itself, instantly getting rid of the wetness in his fur.

'I can hide here until the morning. It'll be nice to get out of this body for a while.' The 'dog' thought. Sirius Black was about to go into his true form, however just as he was about to. He stopped. Something was…it was a scent…a _very familiar one. One that he had known and memorised ever since he became an animagus and was able to use his nose like eyes. The dog's eyes widened. 'It couldn't be!' Padfoot silently followed the scent, the scent of nature with a little musk. The scent lead him to the living room. But he didn't enter; instead, he climbed a broken table and set his paw up against the wall, scampering up to where the air vent would have been. _

He peered into the room. It took all his willpower not to actually bark out loud at what or…_who he saw._

'Remus!' 

Padfoot's pale eyes were drawn instantly to his best friend. He sat their, in the middle of the room, head down and eyes closed. The moonlight was now mere millimetres away from Remus, in a few seconds; it would come in contact with him.

Remus' eyes opened up wide. His amber orbs were on fire, blazing through the darkness. They were infernos that seemed like they would never go out. You were instantly drawn to them. The moonlight had made first contact. Stage one of the transformation had occurred. 

His body went rigid. His limbs in rather obscure angles. His bones were emblazed. His joints were painful. His head was spinning, it was worse that vertigo. You could hear the sickening crack of his bones. They had broken in several places; his legs, his arms, his feet, his hands, his hips, his shoulder blades. An extremely painful looks swept across his face. It was a wonder he hadn't screamed out at the pain. This was probably just as worse as The Cruciatus Curse; The Unforgivable Curse of Pain. Stage two had now passed.

The bones had started to heal, and reshape themselves. They grew to several times that larger than humans. The Shoulder blades reformed into large menacing hackles. His fingertips grew large claws and they bled reverently. Remus' skull had also changed in shape. It was sharper and longer. His canines grew larger and his gums bled at the increase of size. He now had a snout and the fur was starting to grow on his face, his limbs, and his back. Stage three was complete. 

Inside on the body, the mind and conscious that was Remus Lupin was pushed aside and in came that on a rampaging rage of a wild fully grown werewolf. Remus' vocal chords broke to that much lower that his voice. His throat was extremely painful and what would have been screams of pain came out as a growl of agony. Stage four was accomplished.

Where there was once a Remus Lupin, there was now a raged Moony.

Moony instantly growled out and started to destroy anything that was around him. Since Moony was now an animal, Padfoot could communicate with him. He could hear Moony's aggressive cries. 

'Pain! I'm in so much pain! I need to rip, tear, kill…' he heard his low growls.

'Flesh! I want man-flesh! I need to taste their blood, and kill!...' 

The werewolf violently ripped apart a sofa, breaking wood easily while it was clamped between his jaws. The wolf snarled, everything in hear was already destroyed. Nothing else here really could be devoured. Except for one thing.

Moony lifted his right paw and started to bite menacingly into it. He ignored the increased pain flashing through his body. He needed to do this, it was his nature to destroy things. And that also included him. If there was nothing to destroy, there was themselves. Such was the way that lycanthropy affected people. 

'No! Stop that right now Moony!' Padfoot said and leapt down from his hiding spot. The werewolf instantly stopped and snapped his head in Moony's direction.

'New prey?' he growled.

'No, an old friend.' Padfoot replied, coming ever so slightly closer.

'Remus…'

'Don't say that name! He will not exist tonight.' Moony warned threateningly.

'Remus, fight it. You've done it before, you can do it now.' Padfoot said determinedly. Standing his ground.

'I warned you fool.' Moony's cold reply came back. He stood up defiantly, ready to attack Padfoot. His hackles were raised and his teeth were bared menacingly. Padfoot stepped closed and stared up at the amber eyes of the werewolf.

'I don't want to fight you Moony.' Padfoot told the werewolf.

'Well today isn't your lucky day, villain.' Moony snarled.  They started circling each other, their hackles being raised in competition. Eyes glaring at each other. Either one could lunge first. But Padfoot was hoping he wouldn't have to go that far. They continued circling each other, sizing up the other. Both were equal. Moony suddenly stopped. This was it.

He lunged forwards at Moony, claws ready to dig into the other canine's flesh. Teeth bared to rip the other dog apart. Padfoot braced himself, no matter what happened, he wouldn't hurt the other animal. Instead, he blocked himself. With the force of thunder, he was bowled over onto his side. The werewolf nearby. Padfoot looked up at Moony. Moony was ready to basically flog him to death. However, Padfoot dodged every one. He would roll to his side and escape the deadly claw. Padfoot finally managed to stand up and block himself properly. The fight went on between them, claws shooting as fast a bullets, and teeth ready to rip apart one another. However, Moony managed to strike a blow onto Padfoot, at his side. The dog howled at the pain. Moony approached, looking menacingly triumphant. If a werewolf could grin evilly, that's what Moony was doing.

'Hm…I could eat you, or turn you into something like me.' Padfoot heard him say.

_'No!' came another voice. A familiar voice. Remus' voice._

'Remus!' Padfoot yelped.

'Shut up you! Stay out of it!' Moony growled back at the conscious now present.

_'I will not let this happen!' Remus shouted back._

What happened next was slightly peculiar. It was an inner struggle. Remus was battling Moony internally. For possession of conscious thought. It was bazaar. The werewolf writhed as the internally battle took place. Padfoot just watched. The eyes were the gateway to the inside of one's soul. He could see the amber eyes turning from fiery amber to the usually warm eyes that Remus had. Moony could be heard being pushed back, Remus was winning possession of conscious thought.

Finally, the eyes were the warm amber Padfoot had known. Remus had control of all his thoughts and actions. Moony, the enraged werewolf was locked away, for now. The werewolf finally approached Padfoot, with a worried look on his face. The wound, Padfoot had at his side was bleeding. Without a second thought, Remus the werewolf started to lick the wound, cleaning it. It was a common knowledge that werewolves had healing powers only present in their werewolf form, never in human form.

Padfoot looked at the werewolf in surprise.

'Remus?'

_'Quiet Padfoot. I'm only doing this because I want answers, so just stay put.' Remus growled.    _

***

A/N: Hiya! I'm proud that I actually updated this story quickly! I enjoyed writing this chapter! Sorry, if you were confused as to what was happening when 'Moony' the werewolf or 'Remus' the werewolf spoke. I know that you might be confused right now, but this is the only way I know how to express two voices in one body! And secondly, werewolves having healing powers is something I made up. I don't know if they actually do! I think I should do some research into it! And, about Remus' transformation, painful, no? I don't know if it actually happen like that, but that's how I imagine it to be like!

**Gilana: Hey! Sorry, if I spelt your name wrong, this was just a spur of the moment shout out thank you thing! Thanks' for reading again! I'm sorry I took so long to update, but I'm glad you came back to read this fic!**

**Arra: I am so sorry, I didn't send this to you to beta, but I'm way too impatient! I like to just post things up! But I promise you, I will eventually find something for you to beta (and you'll get the joy or horror of reading my fics first)!**

**Pippin: This was a quick update wasn't it?!?! You should be proud of me! If you feel like rewarding me (hint) you can review and/or give me a sherbet lemon!**

**Poppy: My dear wife…I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (by the way…in case anyone of you are wondering…'tis an inner joke!)…but dearest…I REALLY DO LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

Ack…I've had too many sherbet lemons…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The werewolf's tongue gently massaged the wound and with each healing lick, the wound lessened in pain and the skin healed and the matted fur because fine, like it should have been. All throughout this the shiny black eyes of the dog looked on to his old friend. The once sandy brown fur now had specks of grey, showing signs of maturity. The amber eyes shone and he seemed to be larger than he last remembered him. The werewolf backed off and stood his ground, waiting for the other canine to react in any way.

'It's nice to see you again Remus.' The dog said to him. 

_'I really wish I could say the same to you.' The werewolf replied, maybe just a little too harshly as Padfoot reclined a little at that._

A pregnant pause.

'Listen Remus, what happened that night, it was a huge mistake…I was confused and stressed…'

_'And because of that you lost your best friends.' Remus interrupted.__ Looking at the black dog before him with dislike._

'Yes, my best friends, my world, my freedom…you.' Padfoot said the last part quietly. Remus softened a little on that part.

_'Listen Padfoot. I want the truth.' _

'You sure you'll be able to handle it?' A lingering pause encompassed the room before Remus finally replied.

_'Yes.'_

'I'll tell you. But not tonight. I'm tired and I haven't had a decent meal in ages.' Remus growled at that reply but left it as it was. He had to agree that Sirius' animagi form looked more that just a little pathetic, and beyond tired. If dogs could grin, you could see a quirky smile appear on Padfoot, a mere shadow of what the dog used to look like when he did that. 

The black dog stretch and yawned. He then lay down and rested his head, closing his eyes, quickly falling into slumber. Remus suddenly felt a heavy weight lift off of him. Even if Sirius was guilty, he couldn't bare to see him like this. He was so thin and his once glossy black fur was now tangled and matted. Remus himself was tired as it seemed to be around about 2.30am in the morning. He lay down next to his former best friend and yawned baring his menacing teeth. He lay his head down and closed his eyes. He could feel Padfoot's breathing on his fur and hear his light snores. And those were the last sounds he heard before he himself drifted to the land of nod.

***

Shortly before dawn Remus woke up to find that he was no longer in the body of the wolf and back to his 'normal' self. He sighed and ran a hand through his sandy brown hair. He heard a light snoring next to him and saw the black dog still sleeping comfortably. Last night's meeting came back to him as he stretched. 

Without noticing it, he started to stroke the black dog. It seemed natural and he had done it many times before when they were formerly Hogwarts pupils. His fingers ran through the black fur, untangling some knots and smoothing them down. And when he stopped, even for a moment, the dog would whine quietly until he was stroking the black dog again. The dog finally woke up fully half an hour later. 

They sat there for a while, just looking at each other. Searching for answers just by looking into each other's eyes, trying to read the other's mind. 

"Could you, possibly turn into your human form?" Remus asked unsurely. The dog seemed to scrunch up his face in an expression that clearly read 'you won't like what you see.'

"Please?" Remus pleaded.

The dog needed a little persuading but Remus managed to make him give in. He trotted to a shady corner of the room. Remus saw how the fur disappeared and was replaced by pale translucent skin. The paws morphed into the shape of hands and feet and the face of the dog grew a slight beard and long hair. The man stepped out of the shadows. Remus gasped.

That loud, boisterous boy he knew at school was now a thin man. You could see his rips through his ragged shirt and he looked like someone who came out from the sewers.

"Sirius…"

The man nodded, his intense eyes fixed on Remus.

"I've had better days." The man replied hoarsely.

Remus raised his hand to cover his gasp again.

"Listen Remus. You'll be expected to be up soon. Come down here whenever you can. I'll be waiting. But…could you possibly bring some food?" he asked. Remus nodded and smiled.

"Yes I will. You could do with a bath too."

***

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry about the lack in updates! I'll try to update whenever I can though! And reviews will motivate me (hint!)! Even if they are bad reviews!  


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